Vehicle-fender.



F. B. ROLAND & C. CHANDLER.

VEHICLE FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. n. 1914.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

INVENTORS.

ATTORNEY WITNESSES FRED B. ROLAND AND CHARLES CI-IANDLER 'OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

VEHICLE-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed December 11, 1914. Serial No. 876,704.

T all whom it may concern: Be 1t known that we, FRED B. ROLAND and CHARLES CHANDLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Fenders, of which the following is a specification;

Our invention relates to vehicle fenders and particularly to automobile fenders, and the objects of our invention are: first, to provide a fender that shallautomatically fall tothe ground upon coming into contact with any person or object, and thus assume a position adapted to deposit said person or object upon the fender; second, to provide a fender that may be instantly dropped upon the ground by the driver of the vehicle when contact with any person or object is imminent; third, to provide a fender that is light in weight, strong and of economical construction. id e attain these objects by the mechanism described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which there fore forms a part of this application for Letters Patent, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of our invention applied to an automobile. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of our invention applied to an automobile, showing the attachment to the operatinglever. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of-a portion of the supporting bars on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a section plan of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig.4, illustrating an alternative construction. Fig. 7, an end elevation of the fender guards showing the method of locking the vertical guard in place.

Like characters designate like parts throughout the severalviews of the draw ing, in which numeral 1 is the front axle of the vehicle to which our invention is afiixed by means of clips 2 passing around said axle and through the side bars 3. Each of said side bars 3 has an elongated slot 4 near its rearward end adapted to receive a rod 5 rigidly attached to extension bars 6 and sliding freely in said slots 4, as shown in Fig. 1. In place of rod 5, a modification consisting of pins or bolts 5 may be used as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. Rigidly attached to each side bar 3 near its forward end is a pin or bolt 7.

Each extension bar 6 has an upwardly extending arm 8 in which is an elongated slot 9 adapted to engage with the pin or bolt 7. The angle of slots 9 is such as to cause'the extension bars 6 to dropeasily upon the application thereto of a very small force in a rearward direction. Upon the forward end of extension rods 6 is mounted a frame 10 of substantially rectangular construction and extending the entire width of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 1, said frame being covered or filled in with wovenwire mesh 11 or other suitable material. Hinged to the rearward edge of frame 10 is a similar frame 12 covered with thesame material.

Mounted upon the inner side of each side frame 3 is a bracket 13 containing a spring 14. Said spring contacts with a dog 15having an extension lfi'protruding through an orifice in the side frame 3 and into an'orifice '17 in the extension bar 6. Said extension 16 on dog'15 is constructed with a blunt rounded contour, adapted to secure extension bars 6 in place and hold same against displacement due to vibration, and also to be caused to recede into bracket 13 under the impulse of a rearward force upon extension bar 6, and thus allow said extension bar to drop, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3. lVhen the fender is raised after having been dropped the dog 15 snaps into place in orifice 17 and thus secures the fender in its initial position.

The vertical frame 12 is secured in its position as shown in Fig. 7, in which a spring hook 18 is attached to frame 10 and a dog 19 adapted to engage with said hook is rigidly attached to frame 12. A rod 20 mounted in lugs 21 and 22 upon frame 12 and dog 19 respectively,-is adapted to con tact with spring hook 18 and depress same to disengage dog 19 and allow frame 12 to fold over upon frame 10 when desired.

Beneath the forward end of each exten-.

sion bar 6 is 2. lug 23, and between these lugs is mounted a roller 24 having conical shaped ends 25 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By means of said conical ends the roller is enabled to cross car tracks and the like without becoming engaged therewith.

The edges of frames 10 and 12 may be covered with rubber hose or other suitable material to protect a person from injury, as shown at 26 in Fi 7 In place of bracket 13, spring 14 and dog 15 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a modification comprising a spring 27 connecting pins or bolts 5 an? may be used, as shown in Fig.

vehicle driver as shown. in Figs. 1 and 2,-in

6, said spring 27 being adapted to retain pins 5 and their respective extension bars 6 in their forwardmost position, in which position said extension bars 6 are sustained in their uppermost positionby pins or bolts 7. The construction of Figs. A and 5 is preferred because it doesnot return the fender automatically to the initial position upon theremoval of the object struck, as does that of Fig. 6, but requires the. attention of the driver or.other person to raise the fender beforethe vehicle can proceed.

Without in any way interfering with the automatic operation of our invention the same may be arranged to be operated by the which 28 is a lever .conveniently placed for operation by the driver, and 291 a reach rod or link pivotably attached to lever 28, and

also adjustably attached by meansof boss.

29 and set screw. 29", to rod 5. *By this arrangement the driver may, by manipula tion of lever 28, cause the fender to drop into position as shown in dotted lines, or

the fender will drop automatically upon coming into contact with any obstruction.

Our invention may berconstructed of any material and of any size deemed suitable for a device of this character and while we have illustratedand described a combination of elements andarrangement of parts 1 considered necessary in materializing our invent on, we wish to include in this applidescribed, and particularly defined in the appended claims.

Having illustratedand described our invention so that others skilled in the art may be enabled to construct and use same, what we claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A duality of members rigidly attached to a vehicle axle, an extensionmember slidably attached to each of said members, an

upwardly extending slotted arm integrally attached to each extension member and a.

pair of coveredfender frames hinged-torigidly attached to a vehicle axle, pins at- 'tached to said members and adapted to slidably support members forwardly extending therefrom, forwardly extending members slldably, mounted upon said pins having an upwardly extending inclined slot engaging with one of said pins and covered fender frames mounted upon said forwardly extending members, substantially as described. 3. A vehicle fender comprising a duality of suitably covered frames mounted upon slidable extension members, said extension members having upwardly inclined slots adapted to drop said fender frames upon rearward motion thereof, supporting members for said extension members and means to engage :said supporting members with said extension members to retain the fender frames inposition and to release same when moved rearwardly, substantially as described.

l. In a device of the character described, a vehicle axle, parallel forwardly extending supporting members rigidly attached to said axle, parallel extension members slidably mounted upon said supporting members, up wardly inclined slotted arms integral with said extension members, a suitably covered horizontal fenderframe supported upon said extension members, a suitably covered vertical fender frame hinged to said horizontal frame, means to hold said vertical frame in position, a spring mounteddog upon each supporting member adapted to engage and support said extension members and to release same when fender strikes an obstruction, an operating lever within thevehicle and operating means connecting said lever with said fender, substantially as described.

- In witness whereof we claim the foregoing as our own, we hereunto attachour signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

F. B. ROLAND.

CHARLES CHANDLER. Witnesses:

J. AfBACKSTRAND,

E. T. TAGGART.

flopi es ot this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

" l 7 Washington, D. 0. 

